Problems of Usage Labelling in English Lexicography Probleme van gebruiksetikettering in die Engelse leksikografie.

Abstract

<p>Landau (1991: 217) stipulates that 'usage refers to any or all uses of language'. It is the study of good, correct, or standard uses of language as distinguished from bad, incorrect, and nonstandard uses of language. Usage may also include the study of any limitations on the method of use, whether geographic, social or temporal. Basically it alerts users that certain terms should not be uncritically employed in communication. This article discusses the treatment of usage in English lexicography. It analyses the labelling practices in six monolingual English dictionaries namely: the <em>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary</em> (OALD), the <em>Macmillan English Dictionary</em> (MED), the <em>Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English</em> (LDOCE), the <em>Cambridge International Dictionary of English</em> (CIDE), the <em>World Book Dictionary</em> (WBD) and the <em>New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary</em> (NSOED). Discrepancies in the contextual usage labelling in the dictionaries were established and are discussed.</p><p> </p><p>Landau (1991: 217) stel dit dat "usage refers to any or all uses of language". Dit is die studie van die goeie, juiste of standaard gebruik<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">e</span> van taal soos onderskei van die swak, onjuiste en niestandaard gebruike van taal. Gebruik mag ook die studie van enige beperkinge op die gebruikswyse behels, hetsy geografies, sosiaal of temporeel. Dit waarsku gebruikers dat sekere terme nie onkrities in kommunikasie gebruik behoort te word nie. Hierdie artikel bespreek die behandeling van taalgebruikskwessies in die Engelse leksikografie. Dit ontleed die etiketteringswerkwyses in ses eentalige Engelse woordeboeke naamlik: die <em>Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary</em> (OADL), die <em>Macmillan English Dictionary</em> (MED), die <em>Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English</em> (LDOCE), die <em>Cambridge International Dictionary of English</em> (CIDE), die <em>World Book Dictionary</em> (WBD) en die <em>New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary</em> (NSOED). Teenstrydighede in die kontekstuele gebruiksetikettering in die woordeboeke is vasgestel en word bespreek.</p><p> </p>

Keywords

• lexicography
• linguistics
• usage
• labelling
• dictionary
• corpus/corpora
• description
• prescription
• proscription